This director is vindictive.

Chapter 514 The Battle for Center Stage in Chang'an and Luoyang: Chen Mo's "Blooming Everywhere" Plan

As the grand premiere of "The Empress's Wedding" swept across the internet, domestic official media outlets voiced their praises for this audiovisual feast as a "true cultural treasure," emphasizing its profound cultural significance and innovative expression.

CCTV News released a special report:

"From the lost art of the bili (a type of reed pipe) and the neighing of warhorses to the revival of mural cavalry using AR technology, this performance transcends time and space, showcasing the grandeur of the Tang Dynasty! This is not just a simple artistic performance, but a textbook example of 'modernizing traditional culture.' #A top-level expression of cultural confidence#" (with highlights of the performance)
Renren Daily Commentary:
"When fifty Mo Dao swords unleash their thousand-year-old cold light, and when flowing robes and sleeves brush against the digital Dunhuang, what we witness is not merely a retirement ceremony for entertainment stars, but a stunning answer sheet for the living inheritance of Chinese civilization! Chen Mo's team uses technology to empower culture, turning dormant cultural relics into phenomenal IPs." (Image: Golden-armored warriors alongside AR cavalry)

The official Weibo account of the Culture and Tourism Bureau reposted and liked the post.

"A single performance ignited a city! Chang'an Ancient City saw over 50 visitors that evening, with sales of intangible cultural heritage products such as Tang Dynasty palace lanterns and tie-dyed fans skyrocketing. This is the right way to integrate culture and tourism—attracting global attention with the charm of authentic culture!" (Data: Cultural and tourism consumption increased by 300%)

In-depth analysis by Cultural Daily:
"From 'The Empress of China' to 'The Wedding of the Empress,' Fan Binbin's 'Empress symbol' has become deeply ingrained in people's minds precisely because it is backed by rigorous research and exquisite aesthetics. This ceremony proves that true cultural export does not need to pander, but only to awe!" (Comparison image: Tang Dynasty murals and details of dancers' costumes)
The daily 7 o'clock news program devoted nearly a minute to reporting on this grand occasion, concluding: "The confidence of a culturally strong nation lies in these details—the sound of the Jie drum is accurate to the 'shaking cup' effect recorded in historical books, and the height of the pearl curtain's drape is based on the murals of the Qianling Mausoleum. Young people are not only following celebrities, but also this reverence for history and innovation."

Chang'an Culture and Tourism has won big this time.

As the stunning premiere of "The Empress's Wedding" swept across the country, local cultural and tourism bureaus extended olive branches to Shengshi Pictures, hoping to leverage its innovative "culture + technology" model to create local cultural and tourism hotspots.

Chen Mo was also helpless. He really wanted to tell them that this "Miracle of the Tang Dynasty" was not replicable at all, and even if he were to do it again, he would not be able to do it at all!

But there's no way around it, this time it was just too amazing.

The key point is that the values, cultural output, and so on are all so positive.

Of course, Chang'an City itself held a very special status.

After all, throughout the various dynasties of China.

Several dynasties had an inextricable connection with Chang'an.

The saying "ten thousand dynasties have passed" is not just empty talk; it's a testament to the marks left by history!

However, other cities were not to be outdone.

For example, Luoyang, Kaifeng, and Jinling, the ancient capital of six dynasties, which is in no way inferior to Chang'an, and so on.

They all want to replicate this historical miracle of using a platform to drive economic development!
Luoyang, in particular, is arguably the most sour.

With the hashtag #EmpressWuWedding# trending on social media, the Luoyang Culture and Tourism Bureau couldn't sit still any longer—"Wu Zetian ascended the throne in Luoyang and established her capital in Luoyang, so why should Chang'an steal the spotlight?!"

The official letter of urgency was sent to Shengshi Pictures overnight, with one core demand: "Bring Fan Binbin's 'Empress Retirement Show' to Yingtianmen, we want to hold the 'Empress Culture Festival of the Divine Capital'!"

Unexpectedly, this incident led to a heated online debate between netizens from Luoyang and Chang'an.

"Did Empress Wu Zetian belong to Chang'an or Luoyang?"

This historical issue has once again ignited a "battle for the center position of the Tang Dynasty" among netizens from both regions!
A netizen from Luoyang was the first to criticize: "Some cities should stop trying to piggyback on this! The Empress ascended the throne in Luoyang and established her capital in Luoyang. Luoyang has been known as the divine capital since ancient times. Chang'an is at best an 'ex-husband'!"

They even posted a screenshot from the *Old Book of Tang*: "Empress Wu Zetian, in the first year of the Tian Shou era, ascended the Zetian Gate Tower, granted amnesty to the world, and changed the Tang dynasty to the Zhou dynasty." (Translation: Chang'an was her maternal home, Luoyang was the true domain of the empress!)

Some netizens also posted photos of the Mingtang Paradise in Luoyang at night: "Look at our 1:1 replica of the 'Wanxiang Divine Palace,' isn't it more impressive than your AR projection of the Hanyuan Hall?" (Caption: The real former office of the Empress)

Some netizens from Luoyang angrily denounced the "concept theft": "The 'Rainbow Feather Dance' was choreographed by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, what does it have to do with Empress Wu Zetian? If anyone should dance it, it should be the 'Shengshou Yue' from our capital city!" (Attached is a video of the music and dance from the Wu Zetian era.)

Netizens in Chang'an naturally couldn't sit still and immediately began to fight back.

"Hilarious! Wu Zetian entered the palace in Chang'an at the age of 14, held power in Chang'an before becoming empress, and returned to Chang'an after abdicating in her later years—Luoyang was at best a 'temporary worker'!"

Meanwhile, some netizens from Chang'an also refuted this with historical facts, saying, "Weren't you just citing the 'Old Book of Tang'?"
So they posted the original text from the Zizhi Tongjian: "In the first year of Shenlong, Wu Zetian died in Shangyang Palace and was buried in Qianling Mausoleum" (Translation: The Empress eventually returned to Chang'an to be buried with her husband).
Some netizens from Chang'an even posted GIFs of golden-armored warriors from the premiere: "Have you ever seen the murderous aura of the Mo Dao formation? What else does Luoyang have besides imitation ancient architecture that can fight?" (Add tag: #TrueTangMartialVirtue#)

What infuriated Luoyang netizens the most was that Chang'an netizens showed a complete lack of sportsmanship, directly posting a panoramic view of the drone light array at Fan Binbin's retirement ceremony: "The Empress chose Chang'an for her retirement, do you even know what official certification means?"

However, netizens in Luoyang were not to be outdone and launched a "memory kill"!
A clip from the filming of "The Empress of China" in Luoyang: "Fan Bingbing filmed for three months at the Mingtang, but only filmed at Xuanwu Gate in Chang'an—who is the Empress's real daughter?"

A post showcasing the "Empress Dowager Culture Festival" proposal reads: "We're immediately replicating the Yingtian Gate 3D light show and golden armor parade! And we'll be spending 30% more than Chang'an! @LuoyangCultureTourism" (Image: A photoshopped poster suggesting Fan Binbin as a guest speaker).

However, in the end, Bo'an is the winner.

Soon, netizens in Chang'an resorted to both realistic and technical approaches.

The reality is that CCTV is sharing a report praising the technology: "AR resurrects mural cavalry + ice mist sword formation, this is called 'technology empowering culture'! Are some cities still stuck in the stage of taking photos and checking in at ancient buildings?" There are also reports of cultural tourism data from Versailles: "On the night of the premiere, Chang'an had more than 500,000 tourists, and hotel bookings were three times that of Luoyang in the same period—the Empress's ability to drive sales speaks for itself!"

However, what was unexpected was that other ancient capitals also joined in the fray.

A netizen from Kaifeng suddenly chimed in: "What's all the fuss about? My Great Song Dynasty's 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' is requesting to join the battle!"

However, this was immediately suppressed by netizens from both regions: "Shut up, Song Dynasty brother!"

As the ancient capital of six dynasties, Nanjing's netizens chimed in with a comment: "Speaking of ancient capital prestige, Nanjing is the capital of six dynasties! Shouldn't Chen Mo come over? @ChenMo"

However, it was quickly overwhelmed by the hashtag #TheTangDynastyCrushesEverything#!

Both sides had their own version of events, and the final showdown turned into a meme war among the comedians.

A netizen in Luoyang created a meme of Wu Zetian rolling her eyes, captioned: "When I became empress in Luoyang, Chang'an was still gathering dust!"

A netizen in Chang'an photoshopped an image of "Empress Wu returning to Chang'an by drone," with the caption: "Wu Zhou? Just a temporary worker, her final fate depends on the Qianling Mausoleum!"

The topic dominated Weibo's trending searches.

#Was the Empress's Legitimate Lineage in Luoyang or Chang'an?# (Breaking News)

#Battle for the Top Spot in the Tang Dynasty# (Boiling Point)

#FanBinbin, come out and uphold justice# (Trending)

#ChenMoNextStop# (New)

Fan Binbin wouldn't dare to uphold justice; what a joke.

However, Chen Mo was really having a headache right now. A high-ranking official from the State Administration of Culture and Tourism called him personally, and the gist of his sentence was: Could you please organize a few more grand performances of "The Empress's Wedding"?

After hanging up the phone, Chen Mo rubbed his temples and sighed. Gao Yuanyuan saw his brows furrowed and gently reached out to massage his temples: "Is it difficult for you?"

"you do not say!"

Chen Mo plopped down on the sofa: "The big boss has spoken, so we definitely have to take this job. But the problem is—"

He counted on his fingers: "First, the reason why this drama became a phenomenon is purely due to the right timing, location, and people. The Tang Dynasty has a halo in the hearts of the people, coupled with the foundation laid by 'The Great Tang Dynasty in the Northern Desert,' and Fan Binbin's retirement from acting, all of these factors combined made 'The Empress's Wedding' an instant hit."

Gao Yuanyuan nodded: "Indeed, I saw online that it's being called a 'once-in-a-decade cultural event'."

Chen Mo continued, "Secondly, Fan Binbin's persona as the spokesperson for the empress is unique in the entertainment industry. The reason she was able to create such a huge sensation is that the spontaneous influx of fans into Chang'an City due to her retirement from acting was the real spark! If you were to replace her, she simply wouldn't have achieved this level. Naturally, this fire wouldn't have been able to ignite."

"Then should we refuse?" Gao Yuanyuan asked tentatively.

Chen Mo scratched his head: "This won't work either. It's rare for a top leader to speak up personally, and the leader said that this is 'an important window to showcase cultural confidence,' which is quite a big accusation."

He suddenly sat up straight: "But I just realized that perhaps we can try a different approach—"

"You mean you're not going to make a replica?" Gao Yuanyuan asked, a mixture of confusion, curiosity, and anticipation.

Chen Mo always comes up with brilliant ideas.

And since they have never disappointed, Gao Yuanyuan naturally wanted to witness it for herself.

Chen Mo's eyes lit up and he said, "That's right, every city has a unique historical heritage. Chang'an can play the Tang Dynasty card, Luoyang can do a Wu Zhou theme, and Kaifeng can even recreate the 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' scene. And Nanjing goes without saying, it's the ancient capital of six dynasties!"

“I’m thinking, could we just go for a widespread approach? We provide the technical team and planning ideas, allowing each region to discover its own cultural IP.”

Gao Yuanyuan chuckled: "Isn't this just 'teaching a man to fish'? But isn't it too scattered? And isn't the gimmick a bit lacking?"

"No, no, no, we don't necessarily have to launch it all at once. I haven't figured out how to do this year's 814 Welfare Festival yet, so now's the perfect time to do a 'Prosperous Dynasty Ancient Capital' series."

Releasing a new series every week allows for a longer timeline, covering the Qin, Han, Sui, Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties—perfect for a comprehensive experience all at once!

(End of this chapter)